⌞ always the angel, never a god ⌝

⌞ fourty-two : street circuit ⌝

This was going to be the worst decision I ever made. 

__

I looked at the garage full of cars and the keys in my hand. I had gone with the Senna, refusing to drive a Ferrari. They felt too much like Jules. Mako was standing next to me, looking like he was going to explode with how much he was shaking. 

"Will you stop? You're making me nervous." 

"Sorry." 

I rolled my eyes and clicked the unlock button on the keys. The soft orange Senna blinked at me and I sighed. I just had to give it a chance. One chance and that was it. 

"Did you bring your car or am I going to have to drive you?" 

"I have my car." 

"Great, then go get in it." I walked towards the Senna, focusing more on my breathing. "I'll follow you." 

"Yes ma'am." 

I sighed as I opened the door. The smell of a new car and old cologne hit my nose with enough force that I had to pause. Jules kept fresheners in the glove box. I popped it open and clipped it somewhere it wasn't completely noticeable. I sat for a second, waiting for it to work before starting it. The engine hummed under me and my heart settled to meet it. Hands hovered over the wheel as I waited for the door to close. They weren't shaking. It wasn't my body that was hesitating, it was me. 

My body knew cars, it knew racing. This was no different. I just needed to- 

"Breathe, Lily. Find the silence."

I froze for a second. It was just a memory, the same thing I always heard before a race. It was no different. Pushing my fear to the back of my mind, I put my hands on the wheel. The leather was cold under my hands. The time was now, I guess. 

__

We pulled up to whatever dumbass place Mako had brought me to. I didn't bring my ID, knowing that if this got busted, it was going to be hard to explain to Lewis or Nico why I was in jail. I had never run from the cops but I've also never had to deal with them. They knew which cars were Jules and for some reason, I was hoping that would hold. Or at least they would be kind enough not to completely throw me in jail. 

I parked the car and got out, waiting for Mako to explain what the hell I was supposed to do. I didn't want to be on my phone, that felt rude. I opted to look around instead. There were a lot of nice cars here, some from the states and some from other countries. I saw a lot of Japanese models. Fast cars. 

"You look lonely." 

I turned and saw someone standing next to me. He was tall, probably six-one or six-two. Ink black hair that looked like it had never been cut or styled. Soft shoulders but something told me there was more than what I was seeing. Pale skin, English accent. 

"Not lonely." 

"Well, you're new here." 

"Yup." 

"I'm Rev." 

"Rev?" 

He chuckled. "I don't tell my real name out here. It's a play." 

"Ah, smart." 

"What's yours then, lovely?" 

I thought for a second. No one but Mako knew my name out here and I didn't know where the fuck he was. Lu was too close and something close friends would recognize. I refuse to use my full name, that was something only Mother and Father called me. 

"Lily." 

"Well, you're pretty enough that I would believe you're one." 

I snorted at that. "That's bold and quite cheesy." 

"I didn't think you'd be the type for anything else." 

"Oh yeah?" 

"It got you to laugh and that was the first smile I've seen since you got here, so yeah." 

I shook my head, going back to looking around. I didn't exactly know what I was going to be doing. I knew I would be racing but who? And what was the track? Were we going through the streets or was this like a straightaway? And was it racing against one other person or multiple? I had so many questions. 

"Come on, I'll take you to the stands so you can figure everything out and then we'll get you in a race." 

I looked down to see Rev holding out his hand and then looked over my shoulder to see if I could find Mako. Nothing. I sighed and took his hand, letting him lead me through the crowds. Every girl I saw was so beautifully dressed. They had on short skirts and tight tops. Cut of shorts, cropped jumpers, bandanas. Everything. It looked like a scene out of Fast and Furious. The men were dressed in some variation of pants and a tank top. Some had jackets, jean or leather. And most had some kind of hat. 

I felt like I was out of place. I had gone for my favorite pair of cargo pants, some old Jordans I had begged Jules for, a cropped white tank, and my racer jacket. Rev was wearing something similar and for some reason, it felt like there could have been some sort of plan for us to match. If we had known each other before this. 

We climbed up some stairs and all of a sudden, I was being helped to sit on the edge of a roof. 

"This is the stands?" 

"Some people watch from the parking garage but I prefer up here, you can pretty much see everything." 

I looked at where he was pointing and he was right, I could see everything. The track where a set of three cars was racing around the city streets, a smaller version of the Monaco GP. But I could also see the area where we parked and... hell, the whole city. 

"Woah..."

"Right? It's amazing." 

"Understatement." 

Rev chuckled, not once letting go of my hand. I had the sudden urge to let go, the feeling of someone touching me being too much but he ran his thumb over my knuckles and suddenly, I was okay. It was soft, but there were callouses on the top of his fingers. Like when you play a string instrument. Maybe a guitar or a violin, cello? I would figure it out later, knowing my curiosity would get the better of me. 

But I was more interested in racing now. 

"Rev?" 

"Yes, darling?" 

"I want to race." 

He smirked. "I figured you would. Come on." 

________________________________________________________________________________

a/n: short chapter, but i wanted to introduce someone new. if you guys are wanting, i can get face claims for all characters, that way you have a picture in your head. if not, cools. as always, love it or don't :p